Our Week Twelve Game of the Week takes us to White County for the second time this season as the Warriors and Bobcats square off for a game with huge playoff implications. Plainly put, the Warriors HAVE to win to get in (and need Wesleyan to beat Pickens). Gilmer is in if it wins.

WHITE COUNTY

The Warriors no doubt have an electric offense. That unit averages 36 points per game, which is 7th-best in the state. Tripp Nix’s junior season has seen the QB reach new levels of success. Ryan Fowler is up over 1,000 yards, and the WR room is solid with Cam Wilson, Vondre Nelson, Isaiah Whitlow, and emerging talent with FR Gaines Clark. Imagine if Caysen Duvall was not out with an ACL injury! The problem for the Warriors has been the last couple of games getting involved in wild shootouts/track meets. One was the 4 OT 61-55 loss at Lumpkin, then last week’s 39-37 loss to Pickens in which the Warriors missed 2 PATs and had 3 failed 2-point attempts. Still, the playoff dream lies ahead with this game!

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GILMER

The Bobcats have been a solid team in 7-AAA. Gilmer averages over 28 per game, so the offense is solid. With back-to-back wins coming in, this team has a playoff spot, and would do well to grab a win in the finale. The offense can be lethal, with 6 games of 30-plus on the board. The offensive setup consists of a run-heavy group with 6 ball-carriers with 200+ yards. 8 different players have multiple rushing TDs, so it’s a committee, and they’re young. In fact, the top 6 rushers are all underclassmen with 2,300 combined yards and 25 TD.

BY THE NUMBERS (2023)

WHITE COUNTY

• 4-5 (2-3 in 7-AAA)
• Region Standings: T-4th
• 36.00 OFFENSE AVG (7th in Class 3A)
• 29.56 DEFENSE AVG
• N/A State Ranking

GILMER

• 6-3 (3-2 in 7-AAA)
• Region Standings: 3rd
• 28.22 OFFENSE AVG
• 25.11 DEFENSE AVG
• N/A State Ranking

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Be looking for highlights post-game late tonight as well as a story recapping Week Twelve. BLITZ partners with Fox 5’s 11 PM “High 5 Sports” show throughout the season. We make sure to get White County coverage on the big market show! You can also follow us on Twitter (@BlitzSportsGa) for live score updates (5G pending).

OUR PREDICTION

We typically make a case for both, with our official pick linked below. White County will put up points, that’s about a given. Tripp Nix will orchestrate several big drives, and Ryan Fowler will have some chunk plays and use his quick twitch to make some would-be tacklers miss. If the Warriors can combine that with some big stops on defense, and perhaps a turnover or two, this game can be theirs at home. Gilmer meanwhile must do the same thing with its offense and defense. These two teams mirror each other quite a bit. Could it be the team that wins the turnover battle that wins? Look back to last year’s 38-35 White County win in this matchup…might be the same this time around! OUR PICK: SEE HERE

DO WE BRING LUCK?

For White County, we’ve caught 34 games going back to 2009, and the Warriors have gone 16-18 in those, including 0-2 this season (at Lumpkin; vs Stephens). Lately, we’ve seen White County go 0-7 in the last 7 contests dating back to 2020, so perhaps tonight that streak is busted.

DETAILS OF THE MATCHUP

TIME: 7:30 PM Kickoff
PLACE: White County HS / Cleveland, GA
LAST MEETING: 2022 (White County 38, Gilmer 35)
ALL-TIME RECORD: White County leads the all-time series 25-13
RECORDS: White County Warriors (4-5; 2-3 in 7-AAA); Gilmer Bobcats (6-3; 3-2 in 7-AAA)
HEAD COACHES: Chad Bennett (8-11; 2 Seasons); Paul Standard (188-87; 23 Seasons)

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

This series dates all the way back to 1968. Gilmer won the first couple of matchups, but White County won 6 in a row. Despite a Gilmer win here and there, White County has been in control of this matchup, going 25-13 all-time. That includes a current win streak of 8 from the 2004 game to last year’s 38-35 win. The Warriors have put up 35-plus in each of the last 4 meetings.

TEAM LEADERS (2023 Stats)

*Stats accumulated by team-published data on Ga MaxPreps from this season

WHITE COUNTY

PASSING
Tripp Nix – 1,470 yds, 14 TD, 4 INT, 54% passing

RUSHING
Ryan Fowler – 1,265 yds, 12 TD, 6.9 YPC
Tripp Nix – 468 yds, 14 TD, 4.1 YPC
Noel Lammers – 223 yds, 2 TD, 4.7 YPC

RECEIVING
Cam Wilson – 410 yds, 3 TD, 31 rec
Vondre Nelson – 296 yds, 2 TD, 18 rec
Gaines Clark – 206 yds, 3 TD, 19 rec
Isaiah Whitlow – 203 yds, 3 TD, 14 rec
Ryan Fowler – 161 yds, 1 TD, 14 rec
Caysen Duvall – 147 yds, 0 TD, 9 rec (out for season)

DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Jon Scott – 136 TKL, 4 TFL, 2 Sacks, 1 FF
Alex Johnson – 92 TKL, 2 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 FR, 1 FF
Carson Smith – 84 TKL, 2 TFL, 1 FF
Bryce Dockery – 82 TKL, 3 TFL, 1 FR, 2 FF
Cade Dockery – 79 TKL, 4 TFL, 1 FR, 2 FF
Jason Rewis – 66 TKL, 6 TFL, 3 Sacks, 1 INT
Noah Williams – 54 TKL, 2 TFL, 3 Sacks, 2 FF
Isaiah Whitlow – 20 TKL, 2 INT, 1 FR, 2 FF

GILMER

PASSING
Issac Rellinger – 383 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT, 41% passing

RUSHING
Wyatt Stokes – 564 yds, 3 TD, 6.0 YPC
Issac Rellinger – 471 yds, 7 TD, 6.5 YPC
Hunter Brittain – 420 yds, 5 TD, 7.5 YPC
Peyton Chancey – 357 yds, 3 TD, 6.1 YPC
Kyle Cowart – 268 yds, 4 TD, 10.7 YPC
Douglas Callihan – 263 yds, 3 TD, 12.0 YPC
Aspen Hataway – 161 yds, 3 TD, 9.5 YPC
Grant Ballew – 86 yds, 4 TD, 7.2 YPC

RECEIVING
Grant Ballew – 80 yds, 2 TD, 4 rec
Douglas Callihan – 67 yds, 1 TD, 3 rec

DEFENSIVE LEADERS (unpublished stats)
N/A